That Golden Viking Mane
by closetdensishipper
Summary: A post-episode piece to "In the Line of Duty" in which a discussion about Deeks' golden locks leads to a random trip down memory lane and lands the new boyfriend in some (albeit temporary) trouble.


_A post-ep tag to "In the Line of Duty." The image for the story (thanks h-dawg) will make more sense the further you read. And I don't know about you, but my fingers are itching to thread themselves through those golden locks. I guess I'll (hopefully) have to settle for watching Kensi do it instead. Originally posted on my tumblr account. I don't own NCIS LA or the characters._

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><p>"You know you love it." His comment breaks the silence, his voice husky and sleepy. Deeks is stretched out on her horribly uncomfortable couch, feet hanging off the end because he's too tall. But his head is resting in Kensi's lap and she's gently and methodically carding her fingers through his hair. So this is definitely his most favorite place in the whole world, right here right now.<p>

Starting a bit, Kensi clears her throat and asks, "What do I love?" Kensi had spaced out, reveling in the quiet of her home, perfectly content to allow herself to fully relax after a stressful day of shoot-outs, a full tactical breach and a hostage rescue.

At some point during the evening, she had started to thread her fingers through Deeks' hair, letting the repetitive motion and the feel of his soft waves slipping through her fingers lull her often over-active mind into a restful state. Smiling to herself, she can't help but think this is so much easier than attempting to meditate.

Turning his head to look up at her, Deeks grins, "My golden viking mane. You can't keep your hands off it. It's glorious, I know."

Kensi gives his locks a gentle tug, just so he understands he's being slightly ridiculous. "Never said I didn't."

"So you were just mocking me earlier, calling me a Chia Pet in front of the FBI guy."

"Hmm. No, I was teasing. And his name is Agent Reese."

"Whatever," he replies, waving his hand in the air. Pouting out his lower lip and making sure to use his very best puppy dog eyes, Deeks continues, "And no, I'd say you were definitely mocking. And it was completely unnecessary."

Looking down at him in slight annoyance, Kensi can't help but roll her eyes. "You thought I was being adorable. You were smiling like an idiot."

He pouts his lip out just a bit more, really giving it his all.

"Stop it, you big baby. I was just teas… Oh just... Stop sulking!" Kensi is fully irritated at this point; so much for relaxation.

"Mocker."

"Sulker."

Deeks eyes light up in recognition of a memory and he quickly pushes up off the couch and sits up next to Kensi. "I think we've had this little exchange before."

"Oh really. You sure? Because you couldn't even remember the FBI guy's name from today."

"No, no. I remember. And I knew the guy's name, it just wasn't important at the moment"

"Of course."

"Hey, don't mock my amazing memory skills, Kensalina. This is about you and me. I don't forget the important things." His gaze locks on hers and she feels the heat from a blush rising up her cheeks.

Kensi huffs and relents, knowing he's absolutely right. After listening to him impressively rattle off a whole seemingly memorized list of her likes, idiosyncrasies and supposed secrets a few months ago, she can't question him.

"Ok elephant man, enlighten me."

"Really? Elephant man?"

"You know, 'cause they're known to have amazing memories."

"Yeah, no I get it. It's just not very flattering."

Kensi just snorts in response, motioning for him to go on with his story.

"I know you'll remember the OP, just probably not for the same reasons I do." His smirk has Kensi raising an eyebrow at him; she actually has a pretty good idea of the OP he's talking about, but is interested to hear his version.

"It involved an intelligence officer specializing in South America, Chambers I think was his name. You and I spent a lot of time with his ex-wife and adorable daughter, Allie. You remember her?"

"Hmm, not ringing a bell yet."

"Right, ok. Well, I totally remember the look on your face while you watched me play with Allie. The 'I absolutely want to be the mother of his children' look."

Kensi playfully rolls her eyes; she's not biting, not yet. She knows he hasn't reached the real reason he's recounting this op.

Deeks' smile grows as he continues, "In order to stop an assassination attempt, we had to go undercover at a fundraising event. You wore an off the charts little black dress and I, of course, looked stunning in a suit. We made a fantastic looking couple."

"I seem to remember barely tolerating you at that point." Kensi's attempting to keep a smile at bay, and figures she's probably failing miserably. He's just so damn adorable.

"Whatever you say, princess. Anyway," he takes a breath and plunges on with the story, "our suspect," he stutters just a bit," a… um, beautiful woman in an impressive red dress, made us and took off. You chased after her, eventually tackling her into a pool. Your awesome partner had your back, as always, and managed to prevent lady in red from shooting you."

Kensi can't take it anymore, "Uh huh, so there wasn't any other reason for you to remember this op so vividly, besides our mocker - sulker banter, which by the way, you didn't even mention."

Kensi watches Deeks squirm under her pointed gaze. Finally, he gives in. "Ok, so that OP might have provided enough fuel for my Kensi fantasies for a very long time. Seeing you dripping wet in that sexy black dress… that was a fantastic OP."

"And the other woman, the lady in red."

"Yeah… Helen, right? At least that's the name she gave Chambers…"

"Wait, you remember her name?"

"Well yeah. You're the one who just called me elephant man, remember?"

Rolling her eyes for real this time, Kensi counters, "And I'm sure you remembering her name had nothing to do with her enormous boobs falling out of that skin-tight, soaking wet red dress."

"Now who's sulking?"

"I'm not sulking, I just wish you'd stop talking about sexy lady in red from like four years ago. She was attempting an assassination, Deeks!"

"Yeah, yeah. Bad girl, I got it. Still hot, though." Deeks smile fades as he remembers that he's currently talking to his girlfriend, not his partner. This little trip down memory lane derailed quickly.

"I'm sorry, what? You want to try that again. Or maybe you'd just prefer to sleep out here on my completely comfortable couch tonight?" Kensi is annoyed just enough to let him suffer for a bit.

She knows this entire exchange about Helen, or whatever her name was, has no real meaning, that they're both just trying to get a reaction out of the other. She also fully appreciates that while he will still look (he's not dead and has always been a natural flirt), he's certainly not interested in any other woman besides her.

But she does love keeping him on his toes. Giving him her most innocent smile, she smoothly continues, "You know, you haven't slept on the couch for quite awhile. It might be nice for you to reminisce, while I enjoy my bed alone. It'll be heaven; I'll be able to spread out like a starfish and hog all the blankets."

Deeks stares at her for a few moments, trying to read her. She's never been able to stay mad at him for very long, and he highly doubts she's really and truly mad, correct that, angry right now. But he did say something stupid and as her boyfriend, he should try to make it up to her. He can be very persuasive when he wants to be; he has no doubt he'll smooth over her ruffled feathers pretty quickly.

He turns fully toward her on the couch and gently places a hand on her thigh. "Okay, so I think the most important thing to remember in all this is that I did say that seeing you, not lady in red, all dripping wet in that clingy black dress was sexy as hell. You know, I still get turned on just thinking about that OP."

He starts to trace a circular pattern on her thigh with his finger, watching her closely for any reaction. Kensi can put on a mask with the best of them, but when it comes to him, especially now, she's basically an open book.

She knows what he's doing. Damn him. She wants to have some fun and make him work for this just a bit, but she's fighting a losing battle. She figures she'll only be able to play this little game for a bit longer before finally caving, so it's time to gain back some ground.

Removing his hand from her thigh, she looks him straight in the eye and says, "Is that the best you can do, Deeks? Really? Well, enjoy your night on the couch while I sleep like a baby." She moves to get up, to at least attempt to get to the bedroom before he can make another move. But he circles an arm around her waist quickly, bringing her down to sit on his lap.

"Nice try Kens," he playfully whispers in her ear. "But I don't think you'll be able to sleep without me all snuggled up next to you."

"More like invading my personal space," she shoots back, but with far less conviction in her voice than she'd like. "I'm willing to give it a try."

'Nuh uh, see the truth is you'd miss me waking you up like this…" She shivers as he plants a soft kiss behind her ear. "And this…" The kisses travel down her neck and across the exposed skin of her shoulders. And when his hand starts to glide up from her waist, coming to a stop just under the swell of her breast, she knows this game is over.

"I really am sorry…" Deeks starts but doesn't get to finish as Kensi presses her lips to his.

"Just stop. I'm not looking for an apology. I'm not angry. But I was hoping to have a little fun with this. Damn you and your persuasive mouth." Kensi is all but pouting by the end, almost mirroring his earlier puppy dog expression.

"So now who's the sulker."

"Shut it, elephant man."

"Mocker."

"Sulker."

Deeks flashes Kensi a lopsided grin and starts to say, "Kens, you have to know I'm only thinking about you…" until he's cut off yet again by Kensi's lips. But this kiss is filled with more passion, more desire. When she pulls away, she smirks and answers, "I know. And I really do love your golden viking mane."

Standing from his lap, Kensi gently tugs on those golden locks. "C'mon Shaggy, let's go to bed," she says as she grabs his hand and leads them to the bedroom.


End file.
